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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. clip — a video
  7. band — a ring
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cold — not warm
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cue — for pool
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com